Culley's Dam (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)
Attendees:  Stan & Val Culley, Margie & Clive Cowan, Barrie Willis & Sue Hansbury, Richard & Margaret, Alastair Warman, Graham & Sue Salthouse, Doug & Angie Butcher, Irma Smook, Stanley & Asothie Gengan, Danie & Bella du Toit, Dave Bishop & Barbaroza Bernaldo, Eric Kok, Bob & Hazel van Rooyen (23)

Species:  59 (see below)                                                  Text: Hazel van Rooyen

Happily we were blessed with a beautiful sunny morning for our outing last Sunday.  Having met up at Banners Rest, we proceeded, for a change, down towards the Old Pont where we walked through primeval riverine forest, which had somehow managed to grow amidst massive boulders that had tumbled down the bank of the gorge over millennia.
 
Bobby led the way, fending off the spider webs with a long stick.  Most of the many different trees were labelled and trail directions were clearly marked by pretty pottery signs.



At the entrance a Crowned Hornbill flew over to see if we had anything tasty for it (no) and a Water Thick-knee family used a quiet corner of the adjacent complex as their home base. 
Water Thick-knee (photo: Doug Butcher)
A Burchell’s Coucal glug, glug, glugged in the distance while a Black-collared Barbet doo-puddlied close by.  Our presence startled a pair of Yellow-billed Ducks which flew off the river in a panic but the forest was very quiet.  Maybe the birds hadn’t returned since the river broke its banks two weeks ago.

We walked as far as the bridge and returned via the other half of the circular route which was a bit more open and sunny.  Here, a Green-backed Camaroptera was unusually visible, issuing its penetrating call from high in the top of a tree.  It kindly stayed while the photographers clicked happily away.
Green-backed Camaroptera (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)
Green-backed Camaroptera (photo: Doug Butcher)

Woolly-necked Storks (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)
Moving on to Culley Dam, we made ourselves comfortable on Stan & Val’s patio for our breakfast.  A Black Cuckoo called nearby “I’m so sad”.  Eric had arrived earlier and was keen to tell me all the birds he had seen, which included an African Darter and Black Crake.  These had made themselves scarce by the time we arrived.  But we did have the lovely sight of a graceful flock of nine Woolly-necked Storks circling over the dam.  Other birds seen were Little Rush Warbler, Hamerkop, Malachite Kingfisher and Common Waxbills entertained us swinging on the grasses.
Common Waxbill (photo: Doug Butcher)







Common Waxbills (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)

After a great morning of bird-spotting in and out of the hides, we relaxed with a hearty braai, kindly made by Stanley and Barrie – with a little help from their friends, of course.

The Braai Masters - Stanley & Barrie (photo: Hazel van Rooyen)
Pin-tailed Whydah (photo: Doug Butcher
Lunch on Val's patio (photo: Doug Butcher)



Umtamvuna NR (24)
Culley Dam (35)
Barbet, Black-collared
Boubou, Southern
Bulbul, Dark-capped
Camaroptera, Green-backed
Coucall, Burchell’s
Dove, Tambourine
Drongo, Fork-tailed
Drongo, Square-tailed
Duck, Yellow-billed
Goose, Egyptian
Hornbill, Crowned
Hornbill, Trumpeter
Kite, Yellow-billed
Mousebird, Speckled
Oriole, Black-headed
Robin-Chat, Red-capped
Starling, Black-bellied
Sunbird, Amethyst
Sunbird, Olive
Thick-knee, Water
Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped
Turaco, Knysna
Turaco, Purple-crested
Weaver, Village

Canary, Yellow-fronted
Cormorant, Reed
Cormorant, White-fronted
Crake, Black
Cuckoo, Black
Darter, African
Dove Red-eyed
Firefinch, African
Goose Egyptian
Goose, Spurwing
Greenbul, Sombre
Hamerkop
Hornbill, Trumpeter
Kingfisher Giant
Kingfisher, Malachite
Longclaw, Yellow-throated
Mannikin Red-backed
Mannikin, Bronze
Oriole, Black-headed
Prinia Tawny-flanked
Sparrow, Grey-headed
Stork, Woolly-necked
Swallow, Lesser-striped
Swallow, White-throated
Swift African Palm
Swift White-rumped
Warbler, Little Rush
Waxbill, Common
Weaver Spectacled
Weaver, Cape
Weaver, Thick-billed
Weaver, Village
Weaver, Yellow
Whydah, Pin-tailed
Widowbird, Fan-tailed








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